14 August 2012

lemon-blueberry ricotta scones

I find it hard to resist blueberries, as they are such a big part of my summers here in Michigan - between the blueberry picking out at our spot by the lake and the pounds and pounds of blueberries that are readily available at every farm stand around. As their peak season comes to a close, I wanted to find a yummy way to use up the rest of blueberries at my house, and I think I may have found the perfect thing.

2. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl until they are well combined.

3. Add the ricotta and whisk it in. It's okay if a few lumps remain.

4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

5. Dice the butter into small cubes. You can place the butter in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to get it extra cold if it's sat out on your counter for a little while. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture just until the butter pieces are coated with flour.

6. Using a fork, cut the butter into the flour until you have a mixture of pea-sized or slightly larger clumps of butter an flour.

7. Create a well in the middle of your flour mixture and add the liquid. Starting from the center, work the dry ingredients into the liquid by mixing gently with a fork until it all roughly comes together to form a wet, very sticky mixture. It is okay if there is a little flour at the bottom of your bowl. The main thing is to not overwork the dough. Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula taking care not to bruise them as far as possible.

8. Turn out the dough onto a well floured space and gently and shortly knead the dough. To do this, pat it down gently and put all the flour bits that were at the bottom of your bowl on top of the dough. Lift one end of the flattened dough and fold it in half over itself. Press it down again, put any bits on top and fold again. Give the dough 3-4 turns like this and it should come together. Don't overwork the dough.

9. Finally, pat the dough down into a disk, about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 wedges like a pie. Or cut out rounds with a cookie cutter (2.5-3 inches); don't twist the cookie cutter while cutting. (This prevents the scones from rising evenly.)

10. Transfer the wedges or rounds to the baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 mins until the tops are golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. These are best when eaten warm from the oven with butter or jam.﻿

I found this recipe on Food52. Let me just say this as a warning - never visit this site hungry. You will experience stomach growling like you wouldn't believe, and it will be hard to resist the urge to bring your face directly to computer screen and attempt to eat whatever you see on it. Just a warning.